Ecumenical Resources

The building of Christian unity is about deep relationships of communion which are both the first fruits and the means of the transformation God wants in the world. Nonetheless, for the Church of England the following documents are an essential support. They offer ways of creating ordered patterns of cooperation between Christians of different traditions. Both legal provisions and indications of good practice, therefore, serve relationships and sustain communion.

Key documents

Welcoming Ethnic Minority Congregations: Church-Sharing and the Church of England - December 2020

The Church of England's latest report on church sharing by Church of England parishes.

Ecumenical Code of Practice on Cooperation by the Church of England with Other Churches - February 2019

The Ecumenical Code of Practice 2019 answers basic questions about ecumenical procedures. Its table of contents allows you to navigate to specific issues

Part Four of the Ecumenical Code of Practice 2019 in Word Format

Pro-Forma documents for use in relation to ecumenical activity are provided in Word Format for ease of use.

The Church of England (Ecumenical Relations) Measure 1988

The Church of England's ecumenical provision is grounded in the Ecumenical Relations Measure. It was amended by the Ecumenical Relations Measure 2018.

Canon B 43 Of Ecumenical Relations

Canon B 43 applies to the provisions of the Ecumenical Relations Measure. Together with the Ecumenical Relations Measure, it is the core of the Church of England's structural support of ecumenism.

Designated Churches

Designated churches to which the permissions of the Measure and Canon B43 apply

Other documents that support ecumenical working

Churches to which the Measure, the Canon, and the Code of Practice apply - October 2018

There is a national list of churches that the Church of England works with. These are called Designated Churches and the Ecumenical Relations Measure, Canon B 43, and the Ecumenical Code of Practice 2019 apply to them.

However, it should be noted that smaller churches that only exist in smaller areas can be made Designated Churches by a bishop within that bishop's diocese. For the list of these it would be necessary to consult the diocese concerned.

A Formal Declaration of Ecumenical Welcome and Commitment 2019 - PDF

A Formal Declaration of Ecumenical Welcome and Commitment 2019 - Word

In some circumstances Christian unity is best furthered and expressed by welcome Christians of other churches into a Church of England parish or place of worship, without demanding that they cease in their loyalty to their church of origin. The Formal Declaration of Ecumenical Welcome and Commitment is for these situations.

A Service of Joint Baptism and Confirmation

Sometimes a joint service of Confirmation is desired. This could be in  Local Ecumenical Partnership or in some other form of working together where the Church of England has entered into what it recognises as a Local Ecumenical Cooperative Scheme. The House of Bishops has approved the Joint Liturgical Group's Ecumenical Service of Baptism and Confirmation 2014 as a possible rite.

A slide show presenting ARCIC III's Walking Together on the Way

The third Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission used Receptive Ecumenism to foster learning between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. The result of their work is the longest ARCIC document to date and was published in 2018. The slide show is a PowerPoint for presenting the document, called Walking Together on the Way, and could be used as an example of Receptive Ecumenism.

Further relevant documents will be posted here as they become available.